Friday, July 27

Mono in VCF

Hopefully Rich doesn't kill me for cross-posting this, but I just had to.

Mono in VCF. I suggest you remember that name, because I guarantee you are going to hear about them once they eventually blow up all over the blogs and into your collective conscience. Bands with such a well-developed sound like this don’t come along often, so I consider this discovery like a hidden gem deep in a muck of musical waste. This is music to completely lose yourself in, that seems best listening to completely alone in the middle of the night to absorb every bit of detail that is offered from this sound.

I was completely sold on the band after listening to just one song and I swear my jaw proceeded to drop to the ground. The haunting use of strings during the opening seconds of the moody classic spy flick-like sounds of “Escape City Scrapers” give way to the discovery of the incredible vocals of lead singer Kim Miller and her chilling delivery that echoes the likes of Beth Gibbons and god knows who else. Actually, strip away a lot of the bass and beats from Portishead and one could almost possibly compare Mono in VCF to them in that regard. From the flashes of psych-pop and old soul, to the dark, orchestral-like quality that define their unique and original sound. I’m running out of superlatives, but let’s just say that this is just easily one of the best discoveries of the year.

Listening to all of these distinct elements come together, you know that this band is something special and not your run-of-the-mill group. This quintet of talented musicians from Tacoma, WA know their influences quite well as represented by their love of Phil Spector which is evident throughout each of these songs. Not that i’m some expert on the subject, considering I had to look up what VCF stood for. A voltage-controlled filter, which apparently is commonly used in analog synthesizers to create electronic music. Yeah enough of that synth-babble, it gives me a headache.

In case you needed extra prodding, the group had recently been chosen by brit-pop legend Jarvis Cocker to open for a recent show in Seattle and will be playing the upcoming Bumbershoot Festival on September 2nd. The group’s bassist Jordan Luckman told me that they’re currently putting the final touches on their debut album, and are currently without a record label. Did you see that people? THEY’RE UNSIGNED. Unbelievable if you ask me. Add the simply wonderful production and instrumentation along with Kim Miller’s soulful vocals and I promise you’ll have some of the best new music to grace your ears this year.myspace | websiteMono in VCF | “Escape City Scrapers”Mono in VCF | “Spider Rotation”Mono in VCF | “The Only One”